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Schools scramble to adjust on spacing, fully reopen for students amidst COVID issues

Secondary grades still have issues with "cohorts."

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ever since the state health department came down last Friday evening with its ruling on CDC guidance for student spacing from 6 feet to 3 feet in school classrooms, school district officials have been tweaking plans for the return of more students for more days in the building. But of course it is complicated for them and more frustrating for parents.

Very much a mixed situation when it comes to Western New York schools trying to get all their students back for full in person instruction and even this latest spacing guidance doesn't help in that regard. 

For example, good news regarding the Salamanca Schools in Cattaraugus County where as of Monday, the elementary grades pre-k through seventh are fully back five days a week, and middle and high schools are open for four days a week for the 1,400 students. 

District Superintendent Robert Breidenstein says some were very appreciative to be back. 

"They actually said thank you for being here," Breidenstein said. "So I don't recall that happening in recent memory particularly at 7 a.m. or 7:30 in the morning. But I think the scheduling piece was a challenge and making sure that we were going slow enough and safe enough for our community's comfort level."

Medina Schools in Orleans County with a 1,500 student enrollment did have elementary students pre-k through sixth grades open five days a week since the start of the year. But for that district, and many others, the middle and high schools are stuck in hybrid with only two day a week in person instruction. 

Medina Schools Superintendent Mark Kruzynski says, "When the guidance came out everybody said 'oh this is great, this is great — 3 feet, 3 feet,' but there's a lot of caveats in the guidance. And right now Orleans County has the CDC transmission rate that's determined to be high and because of that we still have to keep people 6 feet apart at the grades seven through 12."

As for larger suburban districts in Erie and Niagara counties, some districts like Williamsville (9,900 students) and Amherst are looking at bringing elementary students back for a five full day week on April 26 or early in May. But once again a hybrid hold in place for secondary grades as we heard from the acting Williamsville superintendent Monday. 

Part of the problem is the CDC focus on keeping students in "cohorts" or smaller groups. But again at the secondary level as students take different courses like AP, various science or math subjects, or vocational, they often change classes with different teachers and students. 

For Tarja Parssinen with the WNY Students First parents advocacy group, there is the ongoing frustration with officials in Erie County's situation. 

"The county is really keeping it tied very closely to community transmission and not allowing schools to open," Parssinen said.

Some districts like Williamsville, Orchard Park, Clarence, and Grand Island are actually the targets of ongoing lawsuits as parents seek to see them fully reopen. 

Finally for Buffalo City Schools, the new spacing guidance really has no impact at this point as they just seek to return students for even just hybrid instruction. Buffalo Schools with their 30,000 students will remain at 6 feet with the pending plan for more grades to return in two day a week in person hybrid instruction later this month and into May. The city schools reopening plan is expected to be discussed at a school board meeting on Wednesday evening. 

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